Here are links to job opportunities at organizations in or near DC that do research (these organizations often hire BAs as research assistants for 2-3 years with the understanding that you will go on to graduate school in sociology or a related field)

Doing the Math to Find the Good Jobs

“…jobs at the top of the list include actuary, statistician, biologist, software engineer and computer-systems analyst, historian, and sociologist.

“Mark Nord is a sociologist working for the Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service in Washington, D.C. He studies hunger in American households and writes research reports about his findings. ‘The best part of the job is the sense that I’m making some contribution to good policy making,’ he says. ‘The kind of stuff that I crank out gets picked up by advocacy organizations, media, and policy officials’

“The study estimates sociologists earn $63,195, though Mr Nord, 62, says his income is about double that amount. He says he isn’t surprised by the findings because his job generates little stress and he works a steady 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule. ‘It’s all done at the computer at my desk,’ he says. ‘The main occupational hazard is carpal tunnel syndrome.’